The very angular square shoulders are quite specific to Said, and in the mid-later '70s, apart from Boffo, he was the most experienced maker. He really did have a natural talent for the craft, and learned very rapidly. I believe he got hold of "the knack" a fair while before his brother Paul, who started at the same time, (and ended up going on to set up Mtarfa.)

However, the execution of Earthtones is not Boffo's in your Fish, and Boffo's Fish tend to be smaller than Said's with a much more rounded corners on the square-ish shape.

Not forgetting that the date on your Fish is after Boffo left... which I did. )

(just went daft all over the house searching for my Boffo Fish... then found it under the desk the pc is on, at my feet. I was beginning to think I'd imagined owing it.) I'll add it to the Fish I need to photograph for you!

It is just our opinion. We both have quite a few things, unsigned, that we are quite happy to believe are MH's work. But we couldn't prove it, not with 100% certaintly.It is a process of elimination, and judgements made on observations, which add up to give rise to that opinion.Then it's just a matter of being happy with it and enjoying living with it.

I enjoy living with such a beautiful piece of glass regardless if it was made 1971 or 1978. But your opinion (that of two people having spend so much time collecting and researching the work of MH and Mdina glass) makes it a bit more special.

I do indeed. Early script, fabulous colours, loads of stuff going on. A magnificent example of Earthtones. But a different "hand" I think, to my 2 magnificent/favourite examples of Earthtones, which I think are the same hand as each other. I do have some lovely bits, similar to yours though, it's another "hand" that works it wonderfully.

You have got some beautiful earthtones pieces there -- I like that your cylinder vase is so translucent.

Earthtones really seems to vary a lot: I bought this cut ice lollipop together with my cylinder vase above, same Mdina script on the base, but the colours are totally different -- the brown bands are dark even when held against the light, and the background is more "beige" than greenish yellow...Still a nice piece, and when searching the web I realized that lollipop vases in this pattern seem to be rather uncommon.